Turn the oven to broiler setting. Move the top rack to the middle of the oven.

Cut the baguette into ½” thick slices; place in a single layer on a cookie sheet. Place the cookie sheet in the oven and toast both sides of the baguette slices until golden brown but still soft in the centre. Remove to a wire rack to cool. (This can be done a few hours before serving. Cannot be made the day before otherwise the bread will taste stale.)

Place the chevre into a medium bowl. Using a fork, mash the cheese. Add in the lemon rind, garlic, cream and dill. Mash the mixture together until fully combined. Add in salt and pepper, to taste.

To serve, spread the crostinis with the herbed chevre. Top with desired toppings:

• artichoke hearts, sliced tomatoes and dill

• sliced proscuitto and dill

• sautéed shrimp with dill and very thin wedges of fresh lemon

Smoked Manhattan Cocktail

Makes one cocktail

2 oz. Rye Whiskey or Bourbon

1 oz. Sweet Vermouth

2 dashes of aromatic bitters (Angostura or something comparable)

Optional: Garnish cocktail with cherry or orange peel

Combine ingredients in a mixing glass. Add a generous amount of ice to the glass and stir ingredients to combine and chill the drink (at least one minute). You can use a cocktail shaker too but this will result in a cloudier looking cocktail.

Adding smoke to the cocktail is optional and there are a few ways you can go about it. We used a Breville Smoking Gun to create the smoke. In the episode, we also used a uniquely shaped bottle to help trap the smoke and infuse it into the cocktail. For this method, pour the chilled cocktail into the bottle, add smoke, and gently swirl the cocktail around for about a minute. Pour into a cocktail coup and serve with garnish.

If you don’t have a fancy bottle, you can also turn your serving glass upside down and pump smoke into it. Quickly flip the glass over and pour your cocktail into the glass when ready to serve. Do this in front of your guests for some big presentation points!